New E-50 and E-75 kits

[sagallacci]

Trumpeter mines the paper projects again with these two subjects. Pretty much straight-forward kits that agree with the available published data I've seen, mostly.
The E-50 gives you the Panther Schmalturm and two gun arrangements, a two-piece 88/L70 fitted to a now discredited pattern of mantle and a one-piece gun on a revised concept mantle (per the Jentz Panther book).
The E-75 gives you a two-piece 88/L100 fitted to the late pattern Tiger turret with rangefinders. I didn't know there was a 88/L100 considered?
Both kits have the beveled washer spring suspension system and revised Tiger engine and hull deck details. They also have rather useless one-piece "rubber" tracks. Though fairly nicely detailed, the tracks are a bit thick and stiff, and don't fit around the drive sprockets correctly.
The kits look to be very buildable.
The Spielberger "Special Panzer Variants" mentions that a rear drive system was being considered for the two machines and the art shows drive teeth on the erstwhile idler wheels as well as the front drive sprockets. The kits only have the front drive sprockets. Any insight on that?

 

[ninjrk]

I have the E-50 kit, so a few things. These are copies of the resin kits from Cromwell which were based on an E-50 master built by Bruce Crosby. The tracks have two guide teeth because Cromwell had those already for resin casting, Bruce's research indicated that they would have used the Porsche Jadgtiger tracks with one guide tooth as there weren"t interleavened road wheels. Bruce believes it most likely that the Panther F Schmallturn (sp) turret would have been used for both but there is no information that a turret was ever decided on for either. Cromwell put a Royal Tiger turret on their E-75 to differentiate it but there is no data one way or the other. It is also NOT the April 45 version of the KT turret with raised roof, rather it is the standard Henchel turret with range finder bulges.

Matt